Chapter 24 Scythro
My blood goes cold at Ghorak’s words.
Part of me wants to believe it isn’t true. The big, horned Grangorian has smoked too much weed. He’s seeing things that aren’t there. But I already heard the sound in the distance, so I know something is out there.
I snatch the scope from Ghorak’s hands and press it to my own eye. The image in the viewfinder is surprisingly clear. It only takes me half a sareth to find them.
Thrumwings, just as Ghorak said. Twelve of them.
“Damn.”
“Bad guys?” the human asks.
I nod. “Very bad,” I tell her. Then, silently, I think: the worst.
In this sector of Ul, only Pharod has access to thrumwings. That means the riders must be his men.
And not just any men, either.
Enforcers.
Caravanners I can handle, but enforcers are another story. They’re the meanest and deadliest of the ore baron’s men, tasked with keeping the miners in line, hunting down Unfettered raiders, and other miscellaneous acts of violence. More than a match for a stoned weed-monger and a lowly male harlot.
Unless…
“Ghorak, that gun of yours. What kind of range does that thing have?”
“Pretty long,” he answers. “But it’s really only accurate up to a hundred veks or so. And it’s only got one shot. Takes a long time to reload.”
I think about that for a couple sareths. Even if he could pick off two or three of them, that would still leave nine or ten. I might be able to take out a few more with the human’s pistol, but all of them? I don’t even know what kind of power reserve that little weapon has.
“Is there going to be a fight?” the human asks. Her voice is trembling, but she is doing an admirable job of hiding her fear. She is a courageous little creature. I will not lose her.
“No,” I answer. “No fight. Too risky.”
“We’ll never outrun them on the longstrider,” says Ghorak.
“No,” I agree. “So we won’t run either…”
I turn and point to the abandoned mine entrance. It gapes from the hillside like a mouth.
“We’ll hide.”
The human quails.
“In there?” she asks. “I thought you said it was going to cave in.”
“I said it was a possibility. As long as I’m alert, we should be fine.” The human’s concern is a valid one, but I would rather take my chances with the mine than with Pharod’s men.
“But it’s… dark.”
“That’s the point. Do not worry, I have methods for finding my way in the dark.”
“What about scuttlers?” Ghorak asks.
“It’s abandoned,” I remind him. “Mined out. No ore means no scuttlers, right?”
“What are scuttlers?” the human asks.
“Later,” I tell her. “Those thrumwings are going to be here in a matter of kethars. We need to be gone before they arrive.”
“Fine,” Ghorak says. “There’s just one problem.”
“The longstrider.”
Ghorak nods. With its long legs and massive shell, the longstrider will never fit inside the entrance of the mine. But if we leave it outside, it will be a dead giveaway to Pharod’s men. Not to mention our tracks. We’ll never be able to clean everything up in time.
The solution is obvious, and Ghorak—Goddess bless him—thinks of it before I do. He scoops my pack off the ground and tosses it to me. Then, a bit more gently, he hands the human her own pack, along with her little broken doll.
“Go,” he rumbles.
“Aren’t you coming with us?” the human almost cries.
Ghorak gives his horns a shake. “Nope. I’m gonna take the longstrider and draw the riders away.”
“But… what if they try to hurt you?”
He flashes a lopsided grin. “Don’t worry. Pharod doesn’t want trouble with us Weedians. He needs our wares to keep his boys in line. Once the riders see I’m just a lone weed merchant crossing the wastes, they’ll leave me be. When it’s safe to return, I’ll come find you.”
The human clearly doesn’t like the idea of splitting up, but she reluctantly agrees. Are all humans this loyal, I wonder?
“Be careful,” she says, hugging Ghorak.
“I always am,” he assures her. Then, as he turns to start packing up the rest of his gear, he trips over a small stone and falls on his gorgeous, green ass. Under other circumstances, I might find that humorous. At the moment, there’s no time for levity.
“Come,” I urge.
Shouldering my pack, I take the little human by the arm, turn her, and together we set off toward the entrance of the mine. Behind us, Ghorak curses softly as he brushes himself off and continues his preparations.
Even just a few steps inside the mine, the shadows grow deep and black.
At first, there is enough daylight filtering in through the entrance for us to see by, but after about fifty veks or so, the tunnel takes a turn and the darkness deepens until even my night-eyes cannot penetrate it.
If I’d been thinking, I would have brought Ghorak’s night-vision goggles, but it’s too late for that now.
We’re going to have to go by touch.
“Give me your hand,” I say.
“Hang on,” the human answers.
Instead of taking my proffered hand as I intended, she gives me the little winged android instead. Then she sets her pack down and starts to search through its contents.
“Jean, please. We must hurry.”
“One sec…”
That last word is not translated by her face mask, but I assume it must be a time unit of some kind. A short one, I hope.
After a few more sareths, the human finds what she’s looking for. She pulls a small metal cylinder out of her pack and taps a button on the side. A bulb on the end emits a small but powerful cone of light.
“Here,” she says, handing me the device. “We can use this to see where we’re going.”
She takes her doll back, hesitates. After another moment, she draws the pistol and hands it over.
“Maybe you should take this too,” she says. “Just in case.”
It would seem I have earned the little human’s trust. I shall do everything in my power to live up to that honor.
“Let’s go,” I say. “Hold on to me.”
My hands are full with the light and the gun, so I offer my tail instead. The little female grips it near the end and holds on tightly as we make our way farther into the old abandoned mine.
A little further in, the main tunnel opens into a larger gallery with a wide, carved ramp spiraling around the wall.
We follow the ramp down to the bottom, where a series of smaller tunnels branch off in several directions.
I select one at random and follow it, letting the beam of the flashlight lick across the bare stone walls until I find a suitable hiding spot.
Along one side of the tunnel there’s a small alcove, probably where a vein of ore was dug out. The position will allow us to hear the approach of any intruders, and flee if necessary.
Best of all, there is no scuttler spoor. Ever since Ghorak mentioned those creatures a few kethars ago, they’ve been at the front of my mind.
But they only congregate around ore deposits, I remind myself, and this mine’s already been picked clean.
That was easier to say when we were still above ground.
Now, I’m starting to second-guess my decision.
I don’t mention that to the human. She’s already frightened enough as it is.
Instead, I gently guide her into the alcove beside me.
I set down my pack, and the woman does the same, gently placing the broken android on top.
When I flick the flashlight off, the darkness closes around us like black water.
“Now what?” the human whispers.
“Now we wait.”
“Oh-okay.” I cannot see her anymore, but I can feel her tiny body trembling against my own. Her hand is still holding onto my tail, gripping it like a lifeline. “Um… how long?”
“Don’t know,” I tell her. “At least a draleth, I suppose.”
“A whole draleth?” Her voice is a whisper, but it has the intensity of a shout. “But that’s like… hours.”
Another untranslatable time word. I can neither confirm nor deny the human’s estimate. All I can do is purr softly in an attempt to soothe her. I’ll have to keep it quiet though.
“Perhaps it won’t take that long,” I tell her. “We’ll wait here until it seems safe. If we don’t hear anything, we can return to the surface and look for Ghorak, okay?”
“Okay.”
I tuck the flashlight into the back of my pants.
The gun, I tuck into the front. The kethars pass in an uneasy silence—one that is broken only by the quiet sounds of the old mine shifting around us, the intermittent groan of support beams, the occasional echo of pebbles skittering somewhere in the depths.
And then… a whimper.
“Are you alright?” I ask, keeping my voice as low as possible.
“Yes,” the human answers, her voice equally soft. “I’m fine. It’s just—Oh!”
This time, the sound is somewhere between a gasp and a moan. It is a small sound, but the stone walls amplify it into something much bigger. I increase the intensity of my purring ever so slightly.
“No!” the human hisses. “Don’t do that. It only makes it worse.”
I stop purring and frown. “Makes what worse?”
The human answers with a desperate cry that echoes down the tunnel where we are hiding. I pull her against me and prepare to clap a hand over her mouth before I remember she is still wearing her face mask.
“You must be quiet,” I tell her.
“I know,” she whines. “I’m sorry.”
Even as she apologizes, she begins grinding her crotch against my thigh. Through our clothing, I can sense the intense heat emanating from between her legs.
Seriously?
Now?
“Human, this is hardly the time for pleasure.”
Now there’s a sentence I never thought I would hear myself say.
“I know,” she whines, and the tautness in her voice makes it clear she is holding back a cry. “It’s just that… it’s a human thing. We get like this… whenever it’s… dark—Oh God!”
Interesting. I am something of an expert when it comes to sexual behavior, but I’ve never encountered another species with this trait.
It tracks though. When I first found the human inside the longstrider shell, it was quite dark.
And yesterday her arousal started to make an appearance right around sundown.
I know how noisy she can be when she’s in that state. I must find a way to silence her, lest Pharod’s men hear her cries.
But if my purring won’t do the trick… what will?
It is the human who finds the answer. Her hand has let go of my tail, and now it is rubbing the front of my pants, stroking my cock through the tight leather. It begins to harden.
Dear Goddess.
The little human’s arousal isn’t just inconvenient; it’s infectious too.
“Is this what you need, little one?” I whisper, placing my hand on top of hers, guiding her fingers up and down my lengthening bulge. “Will this help you be quiet?”
“Yes.”
I don’t need to see her face to know how hard she’s blushing. I can hear it in her voice. My balls throb with desire.
“Very well,” I tell her, shifting my fingers to my belt. “Get on your knees, little human… and take off your mask.”